I know some have mentioned their Havs have thyroid issues. Jaspers levels are low even though he has been on soloxine for a year. We are going to up his dose. I thought we could keep this thread as a place to share experiences and results.

Max has thyroid cancer but he has been clear for a year. No more tumors.

super, good for Max .

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild

Something else I learned after vet school when I began my practice is that vet students are taught there's nothing wrong with an animal until there are obvious signs of illness. Signs, for example, like hair loss, lethargy, or a change in mood.

What I found in my practice is an animal can show up in what appears to be vibrant health, but there's underlying metabolic disease (as an example). I asked Dr. Dodds about hidden symptoms in a hypothyroid dog that we should be looking for but do not.

Dr. Dodds points out that less obvious signs of hypothyroidism can be present for up to a year before classical symptoms appear. And unfortunately, it's not until 70 percent of the thyroid gland is damaged by autoimmune-generated destruction that classical signs present.

So an animal doesn't just wake up one morning with hypothyroidism – the disease has progressed to the point where it's obvious.

Early signs are typically behavioral in nature, for example, erratic or unstable temperament, passivity, irritability or aggression. Or the pet doesn't pay attention when you call him. There are a variety of subtle changes taking place the family often doesn't notice because they occur slowly and progressively.

Sometimes it's an infrequent visitor who points out changes in the pet's behavior.

Subtle weight gain is another symptom – idiopathic obesity, which is obesity with no apparent cause. The animal isn't eating more or exercising less, yet is gaining weight gradually.

Often the skin and hair coat look very healthy, but metabolically a significant amount of damage is occurring.

and as my vet says thyroid is best bad thing that can happen to a pet, cause it is very easily managed and can make a huge difference to the dogs life and yours as an owner. the scary thing is that 70% of the thryroid is damaged before more conventional signs occur. we actually just found Jaspers when I wanted a base line blood panel when he was 5. he has been happier and less nervous since he has been on soloxine.

But I am curious if anyone has had adjust dosage through the years for their hypothyroid pet? anyone?

Thanks for the info Missy. I just had Panda's thyroid checked (along with a full blood panel since we were drawing blood anyway) - she was out of sorts and gaining subtle amounts of weight for no discernable reason. Her results came back only slightly below normal. Our vet recommended retesting in 6 months to see if there is any change. He thinks the issue may be more as a result of our moving recently and she's just out of sorts... I hope he's right...

Good idea, Missy. I went back to check my thread about Kodi's thyroid, and it was just about a year ago that he was diagnosed with thyroid disease. He had symptoms as stated...weight gain, aggression, anxiety. He stopped being the playful, funny hav we were used to. When tested, the vet said his levels were so low, he almost had no function. He was put on meds and the results have been amazing. We got our loveable Kodi back. He is also down 4lbs.

However, at his last blood test 2 weeks ago, his levels were a little low and they increased his dosage. But he is doing great.

PS - have the book and it is excellent. I think Dave informed about it. Thanks, Dave.

thanks for that Michele. Great example of what Missy was talking about. It is very manageable but goes undetected. yeah Missy that is an excellent book.

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild